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Russian ship smashes ice sailing sideways

This article was taken from the March 2014 issue of Wired magazine. Be the first to read Wired's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content bysubscribing online.

Debuting in the Gulf of Finland in early 2014, the Russian-owned Baltika will travel sideways through the frozen stuff. Although smaller than other ice-breakers, its oblique angle of attack lets it carve a path wide enough for commercial ships. "You would need two ice-breakers to make the same channel," project manager Mika Willberg says. The Baltika can crack ice about 60cm thick, but the ship's patent holder, Aker Arctic, plans a larger craft to cut trade routes through the heavier Arcticice.

This article was first published in the March 2014 issue of WIRED magazine